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FSC 61
March 2014 sees the 61st edition of FSC. It's held in Maastricht, The Netherlands after Diesel Disko ft. Stefany June won the 60th edition of FSC with a song called "Moonlight". 38 juries participate in this edition. France and Portugal returned to the stage, while Canada didn't send an entry. There were no complete newcomers. The Host city The Host city for this FSC-edition is: Maastricht , a city and a municipality in the South-East of The Netherlands. It is the capital city (population of around 125.000) in the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the Meuse river (Dutch:Maas), at the point where the Jeker River (French: Geer), a left bank tributary, joins it.The city literally gets its name from a bridge built by the Romans (a Roman settlement) during the reign, of Augustus Caesar (Maastricht = Mosae Trajectum = crossing at the Meuse). It is said to be the oldest city in The Netherlands - and is close to the Belgian and German borders. The city’s culture is influenced by both of its national neighbours. The city has gone through stages of development through the years, from settlements to a religious centre, a garrison city and an early industrial city. Nowadays, it is known as a city of especially culture (including local folklore) and education. Maastricht's rich history shows from the actual fact that it has no less than 1677 national heritage sites. In recent years Maastricht has become well known, by way of the 'Maastricht Treaty',as the birthplace of the European Union, European citizenship, and the single Europeancurrency, the Euro. The city is popular , with tourists for shopping and recreation, and has a large, growing international student population, at the University of Maastricht.Maastricht is known for its picturesque squares, romantic streets, & historical buildings.The tourist information office is located in the Dinghuis, a 15th century former town hall& law courts building, on the corner of Grote Staat & Kleine Staat. Main city sights include: City Fortifications , Binnenstad (an inner-city shopping district), & Vrijthof square. Other main sights : ‘Onze Lieve Vrouweplein’ (a tree-lined square, with an abundance of pavement cafes), the ‘Basilica of Our Lady’ (an 11th century church), the ‘St. Martinus’ (a church built in 1858) , ‘Markt’ (the Market Square), ‘The Town Hall’ (built in the 17thcentury) & ‘Bassin’ (a restored early 19th-century inner harbour with restaurants/cafes). Museums of note in Maastricht are: ‘Bonnefanten Museum’ (museum for old masters andcontemporary fine art in Limburg), ‘Museum aan het Vrijthof’ (the local history museum),‘The Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius’ (has religious artifacts from the 4–20thcenturies), and the ‘Natural History Museum’ (with its exciting and elaborate collections). Maastricht is also a city of sports. In football , Maastricht is represented by ‘MVV Maastricht’ , currently playing in the Dutch 1st division, the 2nd league, after the Eredivisieleague. MVV's home is the Geusselt stadium. Maastricht is also home to the Maastricht Wildcats, an American Football League team, and member of the AFBN governing body. The city also hosts many events & festivals, among them: ‘The European Fine Art Fair’,‘Amstel Gold Race’ (international cycling race), ‘Carnival’ (a traditional 3-day festival inthe southern part of The Netherlands), ‘KunstTour’ (an annual art festival), ‘Jazz Maastricht’ (a jazz festival) and ‘Inkom’ (opening for new students of Maastricht University) .Maastricht has an active nightlife and an abundance of bars , pubs, cafes and restaur-ants. Starting at the Vrijthof square, there is much to explore , but also outside of the city centre every neighbourhood (over 40 in the city) has its own bars, a bit more quiet & often preferred by the locals. There are discos & nightclubs as well for all the visitors. The Venue The Host venue for FSC March 2014 , is : the Theater aan het Vrijthof (Vrijthof Theatre), a large, historic multifunctional building in Maastricht that functions both as a concert hall and as a theatre. It is the main 'performance venue' in the city. Situated on the 'Vrijthof Square' in the city center, the theatre - which is the home to the Limburg Symphony Orchestra - schedules hundreds of performances each year, including classical, jazz, opera, world music, dance, theater, cabaret, musicals and more. Theater aan het Vrijthof also organizes performances at the Sint Janskerk , Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek , Keizerzaal and Cellebroederskapel. Most performances at the Theateraan het Vrijthof take place in the Papyrus Hall , the large auditorium in the new part of the building. There is also a smaller auditorium which caters for more intimate concerts. This prestigious theatre in the center of Maastricht was officially opened in March 1992. The Hosts Our lovely Hosts this evening are: André Rieu and Angela Schijf. André Rieu (full name Andre Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu) 1st October 1949, in Maast-richt, The Netherlands is a famous, & a little unconventional, Dutch violinist and cond-uctor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra (which perf-orms with between 80 and 150 musicians) . André Rieu & the Johann Strauss Orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a 'worldwide concert touring music act' , as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts. André Rieu has received several national honours & awards, including 'The Order of the Netherlands Lion'. Angela Schijf 7th August 1979 , is a Dutch actress, who, became famous actingin the Dutch tv-soap series ‘Good times, Bad times’ (orig. ‘Goede tijden, slechte tijden’)1996-1999. She has some experience from the musical theater , having taken part inseveral stage productions. She has since played leading roles in several films, including‘Daylight’ , ‘The Turncoat’ , and ‘Godforsaken’ to name a few . Since 2007 she has hada leading role in the very popular Dutch tv police-series ‘Cops Maastricht’ (orig. ‘FlikkenMaastricht’), an exciting tv-series centered around a detective duo, set in Maastricht. The Show The Results The Winner Katy B - Crying For No Reason: